An armed clash took place on the Abkhazian section of the Russian-Georgian border this week. Russian border guards tried to detain Abkhazian hunters who engaged in a gunfight with them – the Club of Expert was told by sources in Sukhumi. Official information about the incident has been hushed up.

According to reports, during the shootout one Russian officer was wounded. Originally rumours circulated in Abkhazia that the hunters were arrested but then it became known that they managed to escape.

The source said that such incidents are not uncommon, and are caused by the lack of clear demarcation and delimitation of the border, as well as the lack of border posts on the Abkhazian side. According to the source, sometimes Abkhazian hunters go deeper into the Russian territory in pursuit of game. But what happens more often is that Russian border guards cross over the Abkhazian side and detain hunters and shepherds for records, to get a promotion, or for bribes extorted for release of "border violators ".